to be frank

Committees ... For good or ill

As I am contemplating my return to work, one thing I recognize is how many meetings I have to attend. That reminds me of this funny piece a friend posted about committees ...

Another time of life (2)

Since writing on this theme a few days back, several further things have come to me that I wish to record. There is another quality of life that is given to us beyond suffering. Not all suffering, not all of us, not all the time: but there is something very special here. Three different friends have shared their own experiences along these same lines. It is truly wonderful to share in this way, and even more exciting to find a similar passage in a book I am reading.

After the Tsunami (3) Another time of life

I began this post more than two months ago. Other things have overwhelmed me since then. It is now time to share some of what all this has meant to me. It really is another time of life.

Good for a laugh ...

There are a few funny things I've been saving up for a while. Not sure why, really. Here's one of them: 10 Reasons Why Men Should Not Be Ordained.

After the tsunami: 2. What the wave brought me

A tsunami is a sudden tide of water: but with that tide of water there came so much more. Literally, rubbish of every imaginable kind, including plants, coral, smashed up buildings, furniture, people's belongings, and the contents of the sewerage and drainage systems. This is why infection is such a huge issue for those who have survived.

More than all that, the wave brought its own tide of emotional and social experiences and frankly these are much more long-term and difficult to deal with, or even describe.

After the tsunami: 1. Death comes to paradise

Samoa is a beautiful place. It has been called 'paradise' because it and its people are so beautiful. But for us, death and destruction came to paradise. How can this be?